This domaine was created in the early 1990s following the division of the old Domaine Louis Trapet between Jean Trapet and his sister, wife of Jacques Rossignol of Volnay.

Nicolas and David, Jacques� sons, are breathing new life into the Trapet name which had become somewhat tarnished by indifferent wines made at the old Domaine during the 1980s. Nicolas, a graduate of the prestigious wine school in Toulouse, is a thoughtful winemaker who knows that great red Burgundy is about the subtlety of lingering, succulent flavours, not the ramrod punch of alcoholic power. Pinot Noir in Burgundy, he says, is like a hand in a velvet glove, as it is the soil which fashions its character. Harvesting by hand is absolutely essential since only a gentle treatment of the vine allows it to live a long life. The vine stock itself must be healthy and virus-free, for how can a vine with a cold perform properly?

The domaine employs classical vinification methods, with partial destalking of the grapes and maceration of the wine on its skins for 9 - 14 days. The Rossignols think it is essential to taste the fermenting must every day to determine the best time to stop fermentation. Their goal, like all great Burgundy makers, is to give full expression to their remarkable terriors, which include prime sites in Chambertin, Latricieres-Chambertin, Chapelle-Chambertin and Beaune Premier Cru Teurons.

The estate firmly believes that the use of new wood should be subtle because "basically, Pinot Noir is a very aromatic grape and cannot support too much oak. That�s why we use only 20 per cent new wood for our village appellation and 33 per cent for our Premiers Crus. For our Grands Crus, such as Le Chambertin, that proportion may be as much as 50 per cent".